Healthy Chicks

The other day, I was complaining about being Color Blind to the boy I am dating. It’s extremely rare for a girl to be Color Blind, but I unfortunately got the bad gene – something about dominant traits in my dad mixed with my mom’s carrier trait turned into Rachel being Color Blind. I complain like it’s the end of the world, but it’s not like I can’t see color. Whenever I tell people, they ask me “What color is the sky?” “What color is the grass?” Yellow and purple, duh! Seriously, people. Along with my lovely Color Blind trait, I also got the brown hair and the brown (sometimes green, so I guess hazel) eyes, while my sister is blonde with crystal blue eyes. C’mon gene pool, why me?

But as much as I complain, I realize all my traits (weird, bad, ugly and good) come from my family, and that makes me love everything about myself all over again – even if that means calling a friend over every time I need to find the “green” in Word and not being a blonde, blue-eyed babe. In fact, I actually love the fact that I’m naturally brunette- it matches my skin and eyes perfectly. I’ll also accept the fact that I got the curvy genes with the tiny waist, big butt and thighs. It makes wearing an LBD so much more fun!

But it’s not just the exterior traits that come from my fam. It’s everything about me. Since my parents are from Connecticut, I’m lucky enough to get to see them a few times a month to catch up and share some good laughs. Yesterday, they came up to spend some time with their lovely daughter and to meet….dun dun dun…the boy she’s dating, and it only reminded me how much I freakin’ love my family…just the way they are. My dad’s one of those outgoing guys who knows everyone and can work his way into anything, and would do absolutely anything for his daughters, and my mom’s his adorable little sidekick who says the most hilarious things when she’s not even trying to be funny. We may laugh at her a little more than we should, but we love her nonetheless! (ha, hi mom!) Then there’s my beautiful sister who is my other half; we balance each other perfectly. 

Anyway, after spending some time with my parents yesterday I realized I get all my quirky little traits from them. I’m silly and sometimes ditzy like my mom, I talk too much like my dad, I pick at my food (and everyone else’s food) like my mom, I can take back tequila like my dad, I am sensitive and caring like my mom, I have a sense of humor like my dad, I like to write letters and homemade cards for my friends like my mom, I like going out and talking to anyone and everyone like my dad, I laugh at myself like both of my parents, and can sometimes think I am always right like…both my parents. I love to go shopping and cook like my mom, but learned to run and attempt to like sports like my dad. I am me because of both of them, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

So Color Blind or not, I love living in the genes I was given. 

Are you more like your mom or your dad? What are some of your unique traits?